NEW DELHI: New Delhi recorded more than 200,000 cases of acute respiratory illnesses at six state-run hospitals between 2022 and 2024, government numbers showed, highlighting the adverse effects of toxic air on health.
Delhi, with its sprawling metropolitan region of 30 million residents, is regularly ranked among the world’s most polluted capitals.
India’s health ministry told parliament on Tuesday that air pollution was one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments.
“Analysis suggests that increase in pollution levels was associated with increase in number of patients attending emergency rooms,” junior health minister Prataprao Jadhav said in a written reply.
More than 30,000 people with respiratory illnesses had to be hospitalized in the three years.
Acrid smog blankets Delhi’s skyline each winter, when cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, creating a deadly mix of emissions from crop burning, factories and heavy traffic.
Levels of PM2.5 — cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream — sometimes rise to as much as 60 times the UN’s daily health limits.
A study in The Lancet Planetary Health last year estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution.
The United Nations children’s agency warns that polluted air puts children at heightened risk of acute respiratory infections.
The health ministry, however, added that air pollution could not alone be blamed for the hospitalizations.
“Health effects of air pollution are synergistic manifestation of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc,” it said.
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New Delhi records over 200,000 respiratory illness cases due to toxic air
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New Delhi records over 200,000 respiratory illness cases due to toxic air
- New Delhi is regularly ranked among the world’s most polluted capitals
- Air pollution was one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments
Greenland PM prefers Denmark ties over US
- Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated Greenland’s commitment to Denmark ahead of JD Vance meeting
- White House officials have been discussing various plans to bring Greenland under US control
NUUK: Residents in Greenland’s snow-covered capital, Nuuk, expressed support for remaining part of Denmark and called for a pause in independence discussions ahead of high-level talks in Washington on Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump intensifies his interest in the Arctic island.
Greenlandic and Danish foreign ministers will meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday after renewed threats of taking control over Greenland, an autonomous territory Denmark.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated Greenland’s commitment to Denmark, dismissing the prospect of becoming a US territory.
“We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the US and Denmark here and now, then we choose Denmark,” Nielsen told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday, standing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Greenland’s political landscape appears to be shifting, with leaders and residents focusing on long-term independence rather than immediate autonomy.
“In the current circumstances, I think it would be wise for Greenland to commit to Denmark for a very, very long time and remain under the NATO security umbrella,” said Finn Meinel, a Nuuk-based lawyer.
Some Greenlanders are worried about potential US intervention. Charlotte Heilmann, a pensioner in Nuuk, shared her reservations: “I can’t imagine living as an American. We are part of Denmark, and NATO, so I don’t understand why he keeps saying he wants to take our country.”
Casper Frank Moller, a tour operator, noted how US threats have brought Greenlanders closer together.
“Last year, some people were still focused on fast independence. But after what has happened, there’s more unity among us because we have to stand against this possible annexation. Hopefully, tomorrow’s meeting will lead to a diplomatic solution.”
’FOR US, IT’S HOME’
Greenland has been moving toward greater self-governance since 1979. However, cabinet minister Naaja Nathanielsen, responsible for business, energy, and minerals, acknowledged there is no immediate rush.
“For others, this might be a piece of land, but for us, it’s home,” she said in London. Nathanielsen added that Greenlanders are content being part of Denmark and see themselves as allies of the US, not as Americans.
Trump’s administration has repeatedly claimed Greenland’s strategic importance to US national security. White House officials have been discussing various plans to bring Greenland under US control, including potential use of the US military and lump-sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark.
’THE HARDEST PART IS AHEAD'
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt had requested the upcoming meeting in Washington in response to Trump’s remarks. Rasmussen emphasized the importance of addressing disputes diplomatically. “Our aim is to move the discussion into a meeting room where we can look each other in the eye,” he said.
Denmark, which has managed Greenland for centuries, faces growing pressure to bolster Arctic defenses to counter geopolitical tensions. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen plans to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels next week, with multinational NATO exercises in Greenland scheduled by 2026.
Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen acknowledged the challenges presented by the heightened US interest. “It is hard to stand up to the US, our most important ally,” she said on Tuesday. “But the hardest part may still be ahead of us.”
Greenlandic and Danish foreign ministers will meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday after renewed threats of taking control over Greenland, an autonomous territory Denmark.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated Greenland’s commitment to Denmark, dismissing the prospect of becoming a US territory.
“We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the US and Denmark here and now, then we choose Denmark,” Nielsen told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday, standing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Greenland’s political landscape appears to be shifting, with leaders and residents focusing on long-term independence rather than immediate autonomy.
“In the current circumstances, I think it would be wise for Greenland to commit to Denmark for a very, very long time and remain under the NATO security umbrella,” said Finn Meinel, a Nuuk-based lawyer.
Some Greenlanders are worried about potential US intervention. Charlotte Heilmann, a pensioner in Nuuk, shared her reservations: “I can’t imagine living as an American. We are part of Denmark, and NATO, so I don’t understand why he keeps saying he wants to take our country.”
Casper Frank Moller, a tour operator, noted how US threats have brought Greenlanders closer together.
“Last year, some people were still focused on fast independence. But after what has happened, there’s more unity among us because we have to stand against this possible annexation. Hopefully, tomorrow’s meeting will lead to a diplomatic solution.”
’FOR US, IT’S HOME’
Greenland has been moving toward greater self-governance since 1979. However, cabinet minister Naaja Nathanielsen, responsible for business, energy, and minerals, acknowledged there is no immediate rush.
“For others, this might be a piece of land, but for us, it’s home,” she said in London. Nathanielsen added that Greenlanders are content being part of Denmark and see themselves as allies of the US, not as Americans.
Trump’s administration has repeatedly claimed Greenland’s strategic importance to US national security. White House officials have been discussing various plans to bring Greenland under US control, including potential use of the US military and lump-sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark.
’THE HARDEST PART IS AHEAD'
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt had requested the upcoming meeting in Washington in response to Trump’s remarks. Rasmussen emphasized the importance of addressing disputes diplomatically. “Our aim is to move the discussion into a meeting room where we can look each other in the eye,” he said.
Denmark, which has managed Greenland for centuries, faces growing pressure to bolster Arctic defenses to counter geopolitical tensions. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen plans to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels next week, with multinational NATO exercises in Greenland scheduled by 2026.
Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen acknowledged the challenges presented by the heightened US interest. “It is hard to stand up to the US, our most important ally,” she said on Tuesday. “But the hardest part may still be ahead of us.”
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